Tip: If the item you want to delete is somewhere in the middle of your list, right-click its cell, click Delete, and then click OK to shift the cells up.

On the worksheet where you applied the drop-down list, select a cell that has the drop-down list.

Go to Data > Data Validation.

On the Settings tab, click in the Source box, and then on the worksheet that has the entries for your drop-down list, select all of the cells containing those entries. You'll see the list range in the Source box change as you select.

To update all cells that have the same drop-down list applied, check the Apply these changes to all other cells with the same settings box.

After you update a drop-down list, make sure it works the way you want. For example, check to see if the cell is wide enough to show your updated entries.

If the list of entries for your drop-down list is on another worksheet and you want to prevent users from seeing it or making changes, consider hiding and protecting that worksheet. For more information about how to protect a worksheet, see Lock cells to protect them.

Tip: If the item you want to delete is somewhere in the middle of your list, right-click its cell, click Delete, and then click OK to shift the cells up.

On the worksheet where you applied the drop-down list, select a cell that has the drop-down list.

Go to Data > Data Validation.

On the Settings tab, click in the Source box, and then on the worksheet that has the entries for your drop-down list, Select cell contents in Excel containing those entries. You'll see the list range in the Source box change as you select.

To update all cells that have the same drop-down list applied, check the Apply these changes to all other cells with the same settings box.

If the list of entries for your drop-down list is on another worksheet and you want to prevent users from seeing it or making changes, consider hiding and protecting that worksheet. For more information about how to protect a worksheet, see Lock cells to protect them.

In Excel for the web, you can only edit a drop-down list where the source data has been entered manually.

Select the cells that have the drop-down list.

Go to Data > Data Validation.

On the Settings tab, click in the Source box. Then do one of the following:

If the Source box contains drop-down entries separated by commas, then type new entries or remove ones you don't need. When you're done, each entry should be separated by a comma, with no spaces. For example: Fruits,Vegetables,Meat,Deli.

If the Source box contains a reference to a range of cells (for example, =$A$2:$A$5), click Cancel, and then add or remove entries from those cells. In this example, you'd add or remove entries in cells A2 through A5. If the list of entries ends up being longer or shorter than the original range, go back to the Settings tab and delete what's in the Source box. Then click and drag to select the new range containing the entries.

If the Source box contains a named range, like Departments, then you need to change the range itself using a desktop version of Excel.